The National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance is calling for papers and case studies focused on building information modeling (BIM) in education. The Alliance is sponsoring its 9th BIM Academic Symposium, to be held Tuesday, April 7, 2015, in concert with a BIM Job Task Analysis Review on Wednesday, April 8, at the Institute’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

This two-day event brings together representatives of different academic programs and industries to discuss the technology-based collaboration among the architecture, engineering, construction, owner and operator (AECOO) industry. The Academic Workshop will explore how BIM educational activities incorporated at different levels of college curriculum are affecting the attainment of educational outcomes through credentialing, accreditation or certification.

Attendees will review papers and case studies to further academic models and generate dialogue about the issues involved with the transformational disruption of changing the way academia educates to support BIM and all the offshoot opportunities BIM is creating to improve productivity.

Researchers, academicians and practitioners in the AECOO industry are invited to submit short papers (up to 8 pages) and/or presentations that describe best practices, experiences and challenges for incorporating BIM into educational programs or describe specific course or project experiences.

Specific topics to be addressed include:

Learning Outcomes Assessments

Pedagogical Models

Interdisciplinary Approaches

Research Opportunities

Accreditation Issues

Curriculum Integration

Sample Courses & Sample Lessons

Student Projects

Industry Involvement

Academic Business Models & Return on Investment

Dates to Know

Abstracts are due to the BIM Academic Symposium’s organizing committee no later than Monday, December 1, 2014. Submissions should not exceed 300-words in length. Due to limited space, submissions will be considered for acceptance on a first-come basis.

The organizing committee will notify authors on December 8, 2014, if their abstract is accepted. Selected entrants will have until January 12, 2015, to submit their full paper submissions. The organizing committee will then notify authors on February 9, 2015, if they have been selected to give their presentation at the BIM Academic Symposium. Once selected, presenters will need to submit their final papers, copyright releases and presentations by March 1, 2015.

There will be a sponsored lunch available both days. Please contact Deke Smith for sponsorship opportunities.

Event registration will open December 1, 2014.

For more information, please visit the BIM Academic Symposium website. (This link will take you to the University of Florida, which is administering the academic review process and is a member of the organizing committee.)